Dam.



11. 0.13EARDSLEY.

v DAM.

APPLICATION FILED FEB-25, 1910.

1,002,817. Pat ented Spt. 12,1911.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

BU'E'US C. BEARDSLEY', F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

DAM.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept. 12,1911.

Application filed February 25, 1910. Serial No. 545,836.

rable in use which shall be held in position bv the weight of the water impounded by it ahd whioh shall be so formed that the pressure of the sustaining base upon the foundation or bottom shall be approximately uniform'throughout, therebyenabling my dam to be placed upon a'foundation which would go be too soft for dams of ordinary construction.

In the drawin s formin a art hereof Flgure 1 1s a sectional elevation through my preferred form of dam; Fig. 2 1s an elevation looking into the dam in the downstream direction; and Figs. 3 and 4 are transverse sections similar to Fig. 1, but on smaller scales and showing modified forms of construction. 7

Taking up first the form of dam shown in Figs. 1 and 2, A represents the pressure sustaining base of the clam, the same resting upon a suit-able support B, which may be the natural soil uponwhich the dam is to be constructed. This base, of course, extends substantially throughout the length of the dam; "To pi'event the Water from flowing beneath the base and thus buoying the dam upwardly, sheet piling C may be driven into 40 the earth just above the supporting base,

being preferably anchored to the latter, as indicated at D. Extending upwardly from near the lower or front end of the sustaining base is the apron or deck E, the same being shown in Fig. 1 as'integral with the pressure sustaining base A, although the parts A and E may be separately made and suitably secured together so as to form a substantially water-tight joint.

65 formed by the base and deck is always acute,

it may vary, the drawings showing the same directions.

The deck or apron E may be constructed on any desired lines, the

as approximately thirty degrees. At its upper part the deck or apron E is preferably curved to form the crest 'F. The dam is so placed as to have the space between the base and the deck or apron turned in an upstream direction so that the water enters between the deck and the base, filling the space and pressing, of course, equally in all The deck overhangs the base, the extent of such overhanging being varied with conditions, Fig. 1, showing the deck extending entirely over the base and slightly beyond the same. The total pressure of the water in the direction normal to the basewould be represented by the product of the area of the base into the weight of a column of water having 'a unit ofcross sectional area and a height equal to the height of the water surface above the base) This pressure, plus the weight of the dam, represents the pressure tending to hold the dam in position. The pressure of the water against the deck or apron, at any given point and normal thereto, varies with the position of that point. Thus at a point on a level with the upper surface of the base, the pressure is the same as at any point on the base, for the reason that the depth of the water above the point is the same. This pressure diminishes, however, as the distance from the base increases, so that the average pressure per unit area against the deck or apron is less than the pressure per unit area upon the base. Furthermore, owing to the inclination of the deck, the pressure of the water normal to the surface of the latter at any point is resolvable into the vertical and horizontal components, the former of which tends to lift the dam, and the latter of which tends to push the dam. down stream. The excess of the downward over the vertical pressures, plus the Weight of the dam, produces the friction of the dam upon its support, which friction must be sufficient to overcome the tendencyof the dam to move downstream, leaving, for practical purposes, a reasonable factor of safety so as to afford the desired stability. Of course, the farther the pressure sustaining base A extends up stream beyond the deck, the more stable the dam becomes, while the stability may be destroyed by projecting the deck 'too'far.

vertical. members .G, the same being shown asintgral with the remainder of the dam and forming. partition or buttress walls.

These walls perform nofunction in my in- 5 ventionother than to strengthen the same and prevent the water pressure from breaking ofl' the deck or apron of the dam.

Any suitable material may be employed I in the construction of this dam, although Igprefer to use cement or'concrete, the drawings being intended to indicate this material.

In Fig. 3 I have shown a dam like that of IF ig. l with the exception that'no buttress walls or any other sorts of members for strengthening the dam are placed between the pressure sustaining base A and the deck E, the base and deck being held in-position merely-by the cantaliver action at the toe of the dal In Fig. 4: I have shown a dam like that of Fig. 3, except that the pressure sustainingbase A and the deck or apron E are jolned'by metallic strengthening members H. As shown, these members H' are tie rods ,with turn buckles J, by means of which' the rods may be placed under tension. These diflerent forms of my invention are not intended to show all the means that may beemployed for' strengthening the dam, but are illustrated more for the purpose pf emphasizing the fact that, in its broad aspects, myinvention is independent of any such strengthening means, or of. any particular form of such means.

As far as I am aware, I am the first to construct a dam with two pressure sustaining walls of, any material, said Walls being joined at their down-stream edges and diverging Lip-stream, one of said walls being substantially, horizontal; and certain ;of the following claims are intended to' cover "such form of dam as broadly as thus stated;

Having thus descr bed my invention, .what I claim is: p

'1.- In a dam, the combination with a substantially horizontal pressure sustaining member, of a sloping member, said menibers being joined together and diverging-in an up-stream direction.

2. In a dam, the combination'df'aFpressure sustaining base lying in a substantially horizontal position, of the deck or apron wali' secured to the; down-stream edge of the base extending over and diverging from the latter at an acute angle and in an'up-.

stream direction.

3. In a dam, the combination with a suitable foundation, of a pressure sustaining baseextending substantially throughout the length of the dam and lying on said foundation in a substantially horizontal position, of the deck or apron connected at. its lower edge with the pressure sustaining base and diverging from the latter at an acute angle and inan up-stream direction.

.1.. In a dam, the combination with a joined to said base at its down-stream edge and sloping therefrom in an lip-stream direction, the dam being open between the base and deck, whereby the water impounded within the dam exerts a downward pressure on the sustaining-base and an upward' pressure on the deck or apron only.

6. In a dam, the combination of a pressure-sustaining base'lying in a substantially horizontal position,. of ,a ,deck or apron wall secured to the base and slop ng therefrom in an up-streani direction, the upper side of the deck or apron being concaved.

'In testimony whereof, I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

'- BRENNEN VVEs'r,

J. B. HULL. 

